On March 17, 2013, the American College of Medical Toxicology Board awarded the 2013 ACMT Outstanding Service to the College Award to Dr. Mark Kirk, MD, FACMT.

During Dr. Kirk’s medical toxicology career, he has demonstrated a passion for developing communication and response mechanisms that assist emergency responders and emergency receivers caring for victims of HazMat situations. His findings in this arena are well-known and published in the peer reviewed medical literature. Also of note, Dr. Kirk assisted in the development of ACMT’s pioneering Chemical Agents of Opportunity Course, creating the Module on Psychological Aspects of Mass Exposure. Over the past decade, Dr. Kirk has been the course director and lecturer at most of these courses, which have been very well received by thousands of participants. Dr. Kirk has tirelessly promoted medical toxicology as deserving a “seat at the planning table” by directing workshops, assisting with policy development, and cultivating relationships with local, state and federal emergency preparedness and public health colleagues. For his tremendous advocacy on behalf of medical toxicologists regarding our role in emergency response, and for creating numerous growth opportunities for ACMT, we thank Dr. Kirk and recognize his outstanding service.

Additionally, Dr. Kirk was Awarded the Exceptional Service Award at the 2012 NLM Honor Awards Ceremony this December for developing “Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM)”. National Library of Medicine; National Institute of Health; US Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Heather Groth recently published an article in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. The study examined the trends in Emergency Department staffing practices in hospitals throughout Iowa in order to determine the community population size required to hire Emergency Physicians rather than Family Practitioners and to understand market forces that contribute to staffing decisions.

The Rural Community EM Elective at Culpeper Regional Hospital is another great opportunity for medical students to gain experience with a more rural patient population.

The emergency medicine elective will allow the fourth year medical student to be exposed to the full spectrum of patients that are presented to an emergency department. This will include patients of all ages, with injuries and illness ranging from minor to life threatening. This particular patient population results in a high acuity of medical and surgical illnesses.

Under direct supervision, students will develop the skills necessary to provide care for the acutely ill or injured patient. Students will learn how to follow a patient through the entire visit, from evaluating the undifferentiated patient, generating a differential diagnosis, and deriving a treatment plan and appropriate disposition. In addition, the ED attending or ED resident on duty will involve the students in whatever procedures are occurring in the ED at the time, so the student can have an opportunity to observe and assist.

I grew up outside of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, home of Arnold Palmer and Rolling Rock Beer. I played football in high school, but was too small (and uncoordinated) to play in college. I went to Holy Cross in Massachusetts for undergrad then taught high school biology at Landon School in Bethesda, MD for two years. I debated whether to become a paleontologist or a doctor but ultimately chose to serve the living. Next, I attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. I’m a huge movie buff, but mix it up with shows like Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, and old-school Office episodes. I also enjoy exercising, a good book, letting Josh Rothstein win at geography trivia, and White Russian cocktails.

Joshua Rothstein

I grew up in Atlanta and went to the University of Georgia. After college, I moved to Washington DC where I did a master’s degree at Georgetown University in Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases. I worked in biodefense and disease surveillance in DC for a few years before moving back to Georgia to go to medical school at the Medical College of Georgia.
In my spare time I like rooting on the Georgia Bulldogs and beating my friends in geography trivia games.

I am very excited to be chief this upcoming year. Training in the setting of such a unique university and city has been a great experience, and I look forward to my role as chief this last year.

Heather Streich

I grew up in the sprawling, sweltering, wonderful city of Phoenix, Arizona with my two younger siblings and our parents until I went off to college at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska…talk about a culture shock! (Ask me to tell the story about my first few winter weeks there- classic ignorance!) I studied biology and philosophy and was very involved with my sorority while there. Right after college I hustled back to the University of Arizona for med school. As the Match drew near, I decided it was time for another change and was lucky enough to match at UVA. I have absolutely loved being here in Cville and really enjoy spending time with my fellow residents. When not at the hospital, I like to read, be outside, cook, work on my house, go wine tasting, and (ever the girl) shop! I have a goal of visiting all 7 continents before I turn 30 (3 to go!), I wish that I could dance (ballet, ballroom, you name it) every day, I am completely phobic of fish (seriously), and thinking about what I am going to do after residency gives me palpitations…too many choices!

Growing up in a rural area, most of my hobbies are related to outdoor recreation. I love to fish during the summer and hunt during the winter. Growing up on the largest reservoir in Virginia, I have always enjoyed boating, skiing, swimming, jetskiing, and hanging out with family and friends on the lake. Throughout medical school, I had many cookouts that included grilling, cornhole, and much needed relaxation. Finally, I am a BIG sports fan and often catch myself spending too much time on espn.com.

David Kumar from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

I was originally born in Calcutta, India and was adopted at a few months of age by my parents, who grew up in Guyana, South America. Logically (or not so much), my folks and I then settled in northern Wisconsin, where I went to undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and medical school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My fiancé Dayna is a mental health therapist and we are excited to explore Charlottesville and escape the frigid Wisconsin winters. In my free time, I enjoy rooting on the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers, golfing, working out, and playing guitar.

Hi! My name is Joran (rhymes with Duran Duran…the 80s band). After growing up in NJ, going to undergrad in upstate NY, and attending med school at NY Medical College, I finally left the cold weather for beautiful Charlottesville! Current interests in EM include Geriatric EM, Medical Education and Ultrasound. Other interests include singing, baking (an excellent stress-reliever), and traveling/backpacking. I experienced Charlottesville for the first time during an away rotation in medical school, and loved the city and UVA’s EM program. Thus, I’m thrilled and blessed to be a resident here. Also looking forward to trying out the restaurants, hiking, discovering Jeffersonian history, touring the vineyards, and cheering for the Cavaliers!

Jennifer Silber from University of Maryland School of Medicine

I moved to Charlottesville from Baltimore with my husband, Dan, and my dog, Willow. We’re excited to trade in Baltimore corners (The Wire, anyone?) for The Corner. I’m from Maryland originally, but I went to Duke for my undergraduate degree. This was followed by a year in Central America working for a public health NGO, and a year in DC working for an HIV/AIDS non-profit organization. I attended University of Maryland for medical school, and I’m glad to keep it in the ACC family by joining UVA! I’m looking forward to exploring local trails, learning how to homebrew, biking to work, and finally having a backyard big enough for grilling and cornhole. Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Michael Wakim from West Virginia University School of Medicine Morgantown

Michael enjoys playing basketball, flag football, cooking, reading, and hanging out with family and friends.

The University of Virginia School of Medicine has an EM rotation for visiting students: the MS4 EM Elective!

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The MS4 EM elective is one of the most popular electives at the University of Virginia. It gives 4th year medical students the chance to work with attendings and resident physicians and to be actively involved with a wide variety of high acuity patients. Students have the unique opportunity to study in a level 1 trauma center with a 130 mile catchment area that includes both rural and urban populations. Additionally, medical students attend the weekly EM conferences, journal club, and have access to more than 70 videos stored on UVA Emergency Medicine’s private iTunes U site. Clinical and educational offerings are not limited to the department, the elective also allows students to work in the pediatric emergency department, with toxicology, and with emergency medical services.

For visiting students, in addition to educational experience, the UVA EM elective allows you to check out our program first hand, spend some time in Charlottesville (one of the best places to live), and get to know our awesome residents!

University of Virginia School of Medicine student Gradon Nielsen was an MSSRP participant with Emergency Medicine last summer. He presented his research (1 of 9 posters) at the UVA Medical Alumni Association’s 47th Annual Meeting this February.

The Medical Scribe Program at the University of Virginia started in 2007 and has since grown to include more than 70 scribes providing 88 clinical hours of coverage each day. An analysis of the program was funded by an ADE grant and the results highlighted key benefits of the program:

Residents are able to spend more time with patients and less time entering data into a computer when they work with a scribe.

The presence of scribes differentiates our residency program from others and has been a very effective recruitment tool for potential GME trainees.

In 2011, a hospital wide EMR (EPIC) was implemented. Scribes provided on-going, at the elbow, super-user support for our physicians both during and after EMR implementation. The potential negative effect of EMR implementation on ED patient through-put, physician workload, and physician charting time has been minimized by the presences of scribes.

Lastly, scribes generally capture a more complete history and physical exam for each patient encounter than do residents. More complete H&P’s translate into higher charge levels and more revenue per patient encounter. This increased revenue is approximately equal to the annual cost of the program.